The Berea Citizen Fired Its Editor Wednesday

On Wednesday, The Berea Citizen fired its editor, Tinsley Carter, and it’s sparked outrage on Facebook and throughout the small Central Kentucky community.

According to many posts and comments on Facebook (which seem to have been removed before we could get screenshots), Tinsley – an outspoken champion of equality and gay rights – was in the midst of reporting on the pending Fairness Ordinance in Berea. Allegedly, Tinsley was let go for being “too liberal.”

Teresa Scenters, publisher of the paper, responded to our request for comment: “Ms. Carter’s dismissal did not relate in any way to her being as you stated, “too liberal.” It was an interoffice matter plain and simple. Beth Meyers, the reporter who has been covering and will continue to cover the fairness issue here is a self described liberal so to answer your question, no Ms. Carter was not deemed too liberal.”

But folks surrounding the issue continue to tell us the matter was homophobic in nature. Here’s hoping that’s truly not the case. Guess only time will tell.

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10 thoughts on “The Berea Citizen Fired Its Editor Wednesday”

This is very interesting to say the least. A number of years ago, as a new citizen in Berea, I was made aware of the fact that the Berea Hospital was considering purchase by one of the Catholic hospital conglomerates.
I contacted the Berea Citizen and asked them if they had checked into services that would no longer be offered to Bereans if the hospital were purchased by one of these conglomerates. I mentioned that vasectomies and tubal ligations would no longer be allowed as well as the offering of preventative medications for victims of rape and incest, i.e. morning after pills etc. The closest secular hospital was at the University of Kentucky which is over 50 miles away.
I was assured by the editor at the time that the Berea Hospital did not offer these services and that it was a non-issue.
I’ve never known the Berea Citizen, in the time I lived there, to ever go up against the establishment in whatever form it might take. There were so many issues that the newspaper could have taken on – i.e. a large construction company for instance that regularly flaunted all codes for proper maintenance of their properties and allowing eyesor properties to exist without any expose’ of their practices.
From what I undestand, their former editor was let go under certain circumstances that I will not go into here; perhaps they figured that since Tinsley Carter was clearly a heterosexual that they would not have similar issues. What they neglected to realize is that fairness and equality can be advocated by people of all sexual preferences.
There has also been an issue of a lawsuit taken against Berea College by one of its students who was assaulted by a former professor that took quite an ugly turn in the media outside of Berea. I no longer receive the newspaper and I do not know if they covered this. Perhaps that might be a part of the controversy if Tinsley Carter wished to cover that issue as well.
There are probably those who know better than I do what the status was concerning that.
There are so many sacred cows in Berea who are never challenged. And many more sacrifical lambs who are sacrificed to keep the status quo.

Having been a citizen of Berea since this past summer and an avid reader of the Berea Citizen, I can attest to the fact that the publisher’s writings are unremittingly in opposition to homosexuality, gay civil and human rights and in fact anything that smacks of a non-Christian, non-religious worldview. There is no serious question in my mind but that Ms. Carter was fired for not sharing her employer’s right-wing sympathies. A sad, sad commentary for a town supposedly founded by advocates of human equality.

Very disapointed in the firing of Ms. Cater. I lived and worked in Berea for many years. Berea was and is a very accepting community . I enjoyed the paper very much. Is there such a thing as “too liberal”? Is it like being “too black”, “too Hispanic?
Give all a voice, I thought that was free press.?
I would hope you consider changing your views on “too liberal” before the next reporter is too afraid to report the true story on future stories. Hmmmm smacking of a vast right wing conspiracy.
I, you and everyone are losing rights on a daily basis for these very things.

Berea likes to try and sell itself as a Progressive accepting community. One only has to live here a short time to realize the “Good Ol Boy Network ” is alive and thriving. From the Mayor to the Council to the Management at the “News” paper.They all want tourist dollars but are not willing to grow up and deal with the big boy issues that come along with it. A few years ago there was a moist vote that was held in the middle of the summer when no students were here to vote. The Mayor wrote an editorial in the Citizen railing against a yes vote because he did not want big restaraunts like Appelbee’s and the like building in Berea and taking all the corperate dollars out of town. I won’t even mention that most or all the employees would reside and pay payroll taxes here, but I wonder If he said that when Wal-Mart or Cracker Barrell came to town?

I guess i could start out by saying, I’m a Proud Berea citizen and have been most of my life. I have read the Berea Citizen for what seems like forever. I have watch it go thru several changes and at the hand of different editors. I can also say that I have know Tinsley for a long time and know her to be just tops as a mother, and a women who has a golden heart. when she became editor of the newspaper I was excited for her. a career that she had worked so hard for in her hometown almost never happens to someone of her age. So Pride was something that I felt for her. I have on several occassions thought that some of her articles were to opionon based and less fact. But as an editor of a small town newspaper I thought she did a fantastic job. Now to touch on if she got fired for being to liberal. The answer to that is simply put. YES!!!!!!! this town talks alot of talk about equality and the rights of every man and women but any sane human that lives here knows that is not the case. Point of views are shared but rarely agreed upon and pople are often shunned for who they are and what they stand for. I am so sorry Tinsley that you of all people have to experience this sort of behavior but take this as the fuel for a fire of a campain to change. I love ya girl.

It is a sad day indeed, when we move backward from equality to all. If we silence the voices of those who would be the voice of change, -the voice of those less heard, we will remain stagnant. Our growth stunted at the hands of those with antiquated thoughts and ideas.
It takes a brave and ballsy person to stand up for what you believe in, to be punished for that- is an outrage.
Tinsley is widely known to be an excellent person, mother and friend. I have known her a great many years, and think highly of her as a person. I think it speaks to her character that she had the courage to stand up for what she believes in, despite it going against the common opinion. “Whats right is not always popular, and whats popular is not always rt.” That being said, I admire her bravery, and willingness to take a stand on contraversal issues.

The world has been changed, history made- on the backs of those who would fight against the tide, and try to make the world a better place. All to often, they are persecuted for doing so. Let us not forget that sometimes, the road less traveled, is the path to changing the world.

There is a saying, that the nail that sticks out the most, gets hammered. Clearly, this is the case. I admire Ms Carter for having the courage to stand up for what she believes in. The world could use more people like her. A lot more! People like that are too few, and far between. Indeed this is a great loss to our citizens, the paper, and the people as a whole. Let us uphold her reputation as a journalist and a writer who dared. She has both my respect, and support. Best wishes to you, Tinsley. Never be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Well-behaved women, rarely make history! ;)

Wow…I did think Berear was a liberal town, despite the good ole’ boys and their flags and paint balls, once upon a time. Talk about backsliding into the dark ages again. Well, someone has to hold up the stupidity of the right wing corporate monkeys. Too bad they don’t see outside their tiny town and recognizre the rest of the world is leaving them behind. I was infuriated to discover they have fired their last two editors. Stupid…ignorant. Clearly the town has had every opportunity to get ‘with it’. Been gone from there 8 years and they are still uneducated. Amzing that students from the rest of the world come there and have zero affect. Shows how closed minded the town has stayed.

The publisher, Teresa Scenters, is so homophobic and full of religious fervor that it is sickening to even think about reading her editorials. When I moved to Berea 5 years ago, like others, I thought I was coming to a town that would be accepting of everyone and was open to new things. It didn’t take long to find out that the newspaper publisher, Teresa Scenters, is so homophobic and full of religious fervor that it is sickening to even think about reading her editorials. Basically if you don’t have christian religion hanging off your sleeve you better keep your mouth shut in Berea.

It took me about 2 months of reading her paper before I wrote her and told her to cancel my subscription to her paper. I found it interesting that she didn’t offer to refund any of my money which had been paid for the whole year. Typical.

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